Scottsdale

Scottsdale is an unassuming city in Arizona, part of the greater Phoenix area. It is like any other small city in the western United States except that its residents are much less prone to house fires than those in near-by cities.

The reason is that in 1985, the City of Scottsdale decided to make it compulsory for all new buildings to have home sprinkler systems installed.

From January 1, 1986 all new buildings - be they malls, factories or just suburban homes - had to have sprinkler protection. All multi-occupant buildings (blocks of apartments, office blocks) already built had to install them too.

By 2001, 41,408 homes had sprinkler systems installed. Of 49 significant fires in single-family homes in the city, none have resulted in a fatality, while 13 people lost their lives in fires in homes without sprinklers.

The average damage per house with a sprinkler system was US$2,166 rising to whopping US$45,019 in homes without sprinklers.

Twenty years on, it´s obvious to see how much safer homes in Scottsdale are, thanks to the foresight of the city´s planners in the mid-80s.

• Scottsdale has a rate of structural fires less than one third of the US average.
  
  
• It has less than half the total-loss fires.
  
  
• In 49 fires since the by-law, no-one has died in a house with sprinklers.
  
  
• In the same time period, 13 people died in fires in houses without sprinklers.
  
  
• Its taxpayer-funded fire service costs 46 percent of the national average.
  
  
• The average damage to houses with sprinklers was valued at $2,166, compared to $45,019 from fires without sprinklers.

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